Abby Wambach will undergo tests Monday morning to determine whether the Western New York Flash star suffered a concussion in Saturday night’s 1-1 tie against the Washington Spirit, but she said Sunday she felt “much better.”

“With any head issue, due diligence is essential and the main concern for both me and the Western New York Flash,” the United States national team forward said in a text message. “I look forward to getting back on the field ASAP.”

The Flash hopes the head injury won’t prevent Wambach, the reigning FIFA World Player of the Year from Pittsford and star attraction for her hometown team, from playing in Saturday’s 7:35 p.m. home opener at Sahlen’s Stadium. WNY (0-1-1), one of eight teams in the new National Women’s Soccer League, plays the Boston Breakers (0-0-1) with midfielder Heather O’Reilly and forward Sydney Leroux, who played with Wambach on last summer’s Olympic championship squad. Late in the match on Saturday, the 32-year-old Wambach was struck in the face from close range on an attempted clearance by teammate, Brittany Taylor. She stayed in, though, and set up Samantha Kerr’s go-ahead goal in the 85th minute. Taylor’s free kick set the play in motion and Wambach flicked a header to the far post, where 19-year-old Australian converted. The Spirit (0-0-2), however, tied it two minutes later on a penalty kick. Wambach and the Flash will hold two practices in Rochester this week that are free and open to the public, training for 90 minutes on Monday and Thursday at 3 p.m. at Sahlen’s Stadium. “I could tell (Wambach) was pretty dazed,” Spirit goalkeeper and ex-Flash star Ashlyn Harris told the Washington Post after the match. “I said, ‘Are you all right?’ She was mumbling. That’s not a good sign.”

In front of a sellout crowd of 4,569 fans in Boyds, Md., Wambach dropped to her knees at the final horn. Harris, her teammate on the U.S. squad and with the Washington Freedom in 2010, approached her immediately. Wambach did require medical attention later, but rode home on the team bus, which arrived in the wee hours of Sunday morning. In spite of her her rugged style and prowess for heading the ball to score goals, Wambach has not had concussion issues previously in her career, which started in 2001. “She is such a tough competitor. She is just relentless and not going to take herself out,” Harris told the Post. “After the game, she looked me in the eyes and said she felt out of it.”

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Jeff DiVeronica has covered professional soccer and the Rhinos for the Democrat and Chronicle since the team's inception in 1996. "Devo's Direct Kicks" takes aim mostly at Rochester soccer, but will also highlight the USL, MLS and U.S. national team play. Devo, his nickname since college at St. John Fisher, also hosts two weekly radio shows each Saturday on WHTK-AM/FM (1280/107.3 or www.whtk.com). "Kick This!" (11 a.m.) features soccer talk, while the Canandaigua National Bank High School Sports Show (noon) covers Section V sports. E-mail Jeff at jdiveron@DemocratandChronicle.com.
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